NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Dahlonega, GA
Every tropical system within 75 miles since 1851 and every tornado within 25 miles since 1950.
Data: NOAA NHC HURDAT2 and NOAA SPC tornado and hail reports, through 2025 · Updated
10 tropical systems have passed within 75 miles of Dahlonega, Georgia since 1851, 0 of them at hurricane strength; the most recent was Helene in 2024. Since 1950, 68 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 11 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 0
- Tropical storms
- 10
- Tornadoes
- 68
- EF3 or stronger
- 11
within 75 mi, since 1851
below hurricane strength
within 25 mi, since 1950
38 deaths in all
What the records show for Dahlonega
None of the 10 tropical systems was at hurricane strength as it passed Dahlonega; the strongest was Zeta in 2020, a tropical storm with 55 mph winds when its centre passed 27 miles away. The record near Dahlonega begins with an unnamed storm in 1859; the most recent system was Helene in 2024, a tropical storm 34 miles away. The busiest decade was the 1900s, with 3 systems. Of the 10 systems, 2 have come since 2000. Of the 405 Georgia cities on this site, 90% have more tropical storms and hurricanes within 75 miles than Dahlonega. The highest rating among the 68 tornadoes within 25 miles is F4, reached 2 times; the most recent, on March 27, 1994, came within 19 miles. The deadliest, an F3 on March 20, 1998, killed 12 people. Of the 68, 6 had paths within 5 miles of the city centre, and 26 have come since 2000. April has had the most tornadoes, 20. The most recent tornado was on May 2, 2025. Of the 405 Georgia cities, 68% have more tornadoes within 25 miles than Dahlonega. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 60 times since 1963, with stones up to 3 inches (tea cup size). Dahlonega has more hail reports within 10 miles than 52% of the 405 Georgia cities.
Compare Dahlonega's storm record with another city →
Tropical storms and hurricanes near Dahlonega
| Year | Storm | Closest | Strength when closest | Peak |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | HeleneSep 27 | 34 mi | Tropical storm (51 mph) | Category 4 |
| 2020 | ZetaOct 29 | 27 mi | Tropical storm (55 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1975 | EloiseSep 23 | 44 mi | Tropical storm (48 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1932 | Unnamed 1932 stormOct 17 | 64 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1912 | Unnamed 1912 stormJun 14 | 59 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1907 | Unnamed 1907 stormSep 23 | 22 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1902 | Unnamed 1902 stormOct 11 | 20 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1901 | Unnamed 1901 stormSep 28 | 54 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1882 | Unnamed 1882 stormSep 11 | 70 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1859 | Unnamed 1859 stormSep 16 | 60 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Category 1 |
Strength is the sustained wind on the track at the closest point, which is not the wind felt in Dahlonega: a hurricane's worst winds sit within a few dozen miles of its centre, and inland cities are usually past that.
Tornadoes within 25 miles of Dahlonega
By decade
- 2020s5
- 2010s7(1 EF3+)
- 2000s14
- 1990s20(6 EF3+)
- 1980s8(1 EF3+)
- 1970s8(3 EF3+)
- 1960s2
- 1950s4
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apr 3, 1974 | F4 | 7 mi | 17.7 mi | 6 / 30 |
| Mar 27, 1994 | F4 | 19 mi | 49 mi | 3 / 20 |
| Mar 20, 1998 | F3 | 12 mi | 4 mi | 12 / 171 |
| Mar 27, 1994 | F3 | 21 mi | 40 mi | 9 / 70 |
| Mar 27, 1994 | F3 | 3 mi | 23 mi | 3 / 15 |
| Mar 27, 1994 | F3 | 2 mi | 44 mi | 3 / 45 |
| Apr 27, 2011 | EF3 | 9 mi | 36.99 mi | 1 / 1 |
| Nov 22, 1992 | F3 | 4 mi | 10 mi | 1 / 7 |
| Nov 15, 1989 | F3 | 23 mi | 8 mi | 0 / 3 |
| Dec 13, 1973 | F3 | 18 mi | 9.5 mi | 0 / 21 |
| Apr 2, 1970 | F3 | 17 mi | 6.5 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Aug 29, 2005 | F2 | 19 mi | 5 mi | 0 / 0 |
The strongest 12 of 68, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in Dahlonega
The Storm Prediction Center has 60 hail reports within 10 miles of Dahlonega since 1963, made on 48 separate days. Of these, 32 were 1 inch across or larger, and 2 reached 2 inches. The largest, 3 inches (tea cup size), fell on May 7, 1998. The most recent report is from March 3, 2023. May has the most reports, 14.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Dahlonega
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Cleveland, GA, 14 miles east of Dahlonega at 1,567 feet. July is the warmest, with an average high of 86°F and low of 64°F; January is the coolest, at 50°F and 27°F. December is the wettest at 6.5 inches of precipitation on average and September the driest at 4.7 inches; the year adds up to 65.4 inches over 91 days with at least a tenth of an inch. June to November, the hurricane season months, bring 48% of the year's precipitation (31.2 of 65.4 inches); the other six months are wetter. September has brought the most of the 10 tropical systems that passed within 75 miles (6); a normal September there has highs of 80°F and 4.7 inches of precipitation. Highs reach 90°F on about 17 days a year, almost all from June to September. Lows fall below freezing on about 97 nights a year. Snowfall averages 1.1 inches a year, most of it in January. That 65.4 inches is more than at 105 of the 108 Georgia stations used on this site (97%). Dawsonville, 11 miles southwest, has its own station (Cumming 2N, GA): 56.4 inches a year, 9.0 less than here, and a July average high of 89°F against 86°F.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | Days ≥ 0.1" | Snow in |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 50 | 27 | 6.0 | 8 | 0.5 |
| Feb | 54 | 30 | 5.7 | 8 | 0.4 |
| Mar | 61 | 35 | 6.0 | 8 | 0.0 |
| Apr | 70 | 42 | 5.2 | 7 | 0.0 |
| May | 77 | 51 | 4.8 | 7 | 0.0 |
| Jun | 83 | 60 | 5.1 | 9 | 0.0 |
| Jul | 86 | 64 | 4.8 | 9 | 0.0 |
| Aug | 85 | 63 | 6.0 | 8 | 0.0 |
| Sep | 80 | 57 | 4.7 | 6 | 0.0 |
| Oct | 71 | 45 | 5.4 | 6 | 0.0 |
| Nov | 62 | 35 | 5.2 | 7 | 0.0 |
| Dec | 53 | 29 | 6.5 | 9 | 0.2 |
| Year | 69 | 45 | 65.4 | 91 | 1.1 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at Cleveland, GA (1,567 ft), from NOAA NCEI U.S. Climate Normals. Normals describe the station; the farther a place is from it, and the bigger the difference in height, the more its weather can differ.
Floods, thunderstorm wind and lightning near Dahlonega
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 101 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Dahlonega: 84 thunderstorm wind reports, 13 flash floods, 3 lightning strikes and 1 flood. They killed 0 people and injured 1, and the NWS estimated $1.4 million in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 79 mph, on June 16, 2010. March has had the most flash floods, 3 of 13. Of the 392 Georgia cities on this site with a flash flood on record, 242 have had fewer than Dahlonega.
July 5, 2017: thunderstorm wind 6 miles from the centre of Dahlonega — 1 injured, $6,000 damage.
NWS: “The Lumpkin County Emergency Manager reported trees and power lines blown down across the county from west of Dahlonega near Highway 52 and Nimblewill Church Road and Highway 9 and Buck Run East to east of Dahlonega along Grindle Bridge Road where a man was injured when a large tree branch fell on him.”
June 16, 2010: thunderstorm wind 8 miles from the centre of Dahlonega — $500,000 damage.
NWS: “The Lumpkin County Emergency Management Director reported that a significant thunderstorm downburst had tracked across Lumpkin county causing extensive damage. Wind gusts were measured at the 911 Center in Dahlonega at 79 mph during this event.”
July 21, 2018: thunderstorm wind 9 miles from the centre of Dahlonega — $200,000 damage.
Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, events whose starting point is on record, 1996 to June 30, 2026. Damage is the NWS estimate in the dollars of the year, not insured losses, and NWS notes that some reports are unverified.
Flood insurance claims, disaster declarations and FEMA risk ratings
Flood insurance policyholders in Dahlonega's ZIP code 30533 have filed 17 claims with the National Flood Insurance Program since 1996, and were paid $261,000 for buildings and contents, in the dollars of each year. 12% of the claims carry the name of a storm or flood event; the rest have no event name. Of the 154 Georgia cities on this site with 10 or more claims, 36 have fewer than Dahlonega.
Lumpkin County, which includes Dahlonega, has been named in 24 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1974, 15 of them major disasters (by incident: 7 hurricanes, 4 severe storms, 3 tornadoes, 2 biological emergencies). The latest major disaster declaration was Hurricane Helene, on September 30, 2024. FEMA's National Risk Index gives Lumpkin County a Relatively Low rating for natural hazard risk overall; by hazard: Very High for lightning; Relatively Low for tornadoes, hail, inland flooding and strong wind; Very Low for hurricanes and heat waves. It models the county's expected loss from all 18 hazards it covers at $13.2 million a year, the 59th highest of 159 Georgia counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $6.3 million (48%), is from inland flooding.
Claims: FEMA, OpenFEMA Dataset FIMA NFIP Redacted Claims – v3, summed over ZIP codes; payments in the dollars of each year, not adjusted for inflation. Declarations: Disaster Declarations Summaries – v2, by county. Retrieved October 25, 2026. This product uses the Federal Emergency Management Agency's OpenFEMA API, but is not endorsed by FEMA. The Federal Government or FEMA cannot vouch for the data or analyses derived from these data after the data have been retrieved from the Agency's website(s).
Risk ratings: FEMA, National Risk Index county table, December 2025 (v1.20), retrieved October 26, 2026; ratings compare counties nationwide, are meant for planning and are no substitute for a local risk assessment. This product uses the Federal Emergency Management Agency's National Risk Index dataset API or downloadable datasets but is not endorsed by FEMA. The Federal Government or FEMA cannot vouch for the data or analyses derived from these data after the data have been retrieved from the Agency's website(s).
What counts as a pass, the distances and the sources: how this storm history is built.